iPhone's 3G download limit upped

If reports coming in are correct, Apple has raised the maximum file size that can be downloaded over a 3G connection before it demands that you hook your handset up to a Wi-Fi network instead. The limit appears to have been raised from 10MB to 20MB.

The idea behind the limit is to preserve Apple's precious user experience - the company didn't have the confidence that data networks could cope with large downloads and people actually making use of their "unlimited" data tariffs. Now, though, it seems that apps, podcasts and songs above 10MB but below 20MB can be downloaded with no problems.

Wired.co.uk says that the limit has been upped on an O2 phone, and we tested a Vodafone iPhone - we were able to download an app above 10MB, but a podcast over 20MB didn't work. If you've got an Orange or Tesco iPhone handy and fancy running some tests, let us know the results for your network in the comments below.

Perhaps this reflects new confidence in data networks from Apple, believing that the problems of O2's network back when the iPhone was gaining popularity fast are gone. Our recent testing certainly suggested this may be the case, even if the network isn't perfect yet.